Mark Grant

Company and Partnership

Mark has extensive experience of company and partnership disputes, particularly unfair prejudice petitions and breach of warranty and other claims arising out of SPAs. He is ranked by Champers & Partners as a leading junior for Chancery work in the Midlands, and by Legal 500 as a leading junior for Company and Insolvency work on the Midland Circuit.

His current and recent experience in this area includes:

• Acting for the petitioner, in proceedings in the Companies Court in London, in a claim for breach of contract and unfair prejudice in respect of a substantial engineering company valued at circa £20 million. Included a successful early application for pre-action disclosure.
• Acting for the Respondent in three related proceedings (in the BPC in London) regarding the ownership and control of a company set up to own and run a Hindu temple. The dispute comprises an unfair prejudice petition, a cross petition, and a separate Part 7 claim for injunctive relief in respect of the operation of the company.
• Acting for the claimant, in proceedings in Birmingham BPC, seeking damages from the sellers for breaches of warranty under an SPA following their purchase of the businesses of several fast food restaurants.
• Advising and acting for the Defendant, in proceedings in Manchester BPC, in a claim for deferred consideration, and damages for breach of contract, said to be due pursuant to an SPA following the sale of a social and digital marketing agency
• Acting for the claimant – a former director and current shareholder of the Defendant, an aircraft sales and charters company – in proceedings in the London Circuit Commercial Court for outstanding director’s loans, unpaid fees and dividends; and in defending a counterclaim by the company in respect of two alleged loan agreements.
• Advising and representing a mobile handset retail company in a claim against a former director for breach of a shareholder agreement and of director’s duties.
• Banfield v Edwards [2024] EWHC 2104 (Ch) (unfair prejudice) – acting for the successful respondents to an unfair prejudice petition in a four-day trial in Birmingham
• Advising and acting for the Defendant in proceedings in the London Circuit Commercial Court (worth circa £3m) about the ownership of shares in a company set up to redevelop a hotel into a private healthcare facility, and loans advanced in connection with the same
• Advising the petitioner in proceedings in Birmingham BPC (encompassing both an unfair prejudice petition and related proceedings for alleged breach of trust) relating to the family business: a substantial group with turnover of more than £40m
• Acting in Birmingham BPC for high-profile claimants in a dispute with a Liechtenstein establishment (anstalt) about control of a UK company in which they were all shareholders. Involved seeking an injunction to prevent removal of directors, proceedings for a claim for a declaration as to the removal of certain special resolutions, and an application for contempt of court – all successful (applications for permission to appeal refused by Court of Appeal).
• (As a solicitor) Advising a group of UK shareholders on $6.5 million proceedings in the United States which involved substantial breach of warranty claims arising out of them in England.

Professional Liability

Mark regularly acts (for both claimants and defendants) in professional liability claims. He is the only junior in the Midlands to be ranked in both the 2026 Legal 500 and the 2026 Chambers & Partners directories for such work.

His current and recent experience in this area includes:

• Acting (in the Bristol Circuit Commercial Court) for the claimants, sellers of a fencing business, on a claim for professional negligence against their solicitors in respect of the failure of security for the deferred consideration on the sale
• Acting for the claimant (as assignee of the claim) in substantial negligence proceedings in London TCC against two specialist providers of legionella advice and rectification, arising out of repeated instances of legionella at a hotel, one of which caused the death of a hotel guest (led by Patrick Lawrence KC)
• Acting for the claimant, a wealthy individual, in respect of the negligent design and subsequent installation of a swimming pool at his estate
• Acting for the claimant, a wealthy individual, in proceedings in the Birmingham Circuit Commercial Court against specialist vehicle dealers, after the claimant’s valuable custom-made Porsche ‘Speedster’ was damaged beyond repair while in the Defendant’s custody
• Acting for the claimants in a professional negligence claim against solicitors who had been instructed on a breach of warranty/fraud claim in respect of a business sale, after the claim was struck out due to issues with service of the proceedings
• Acting for a major football club in a high-value professional negligence claim against the club’s former accountants and auditors (led by John Randall KC)
• Advising the claimants on a claim for professional negligence against their insurance brokers, following the insurer’s failure to pay out on a substantial claim in respect of a hotel made subject to a closure order due to repeated anti-social activities at the site
• Acting for the potential claimants, the trustees of a company pension scheme, on a claim for professional negligence against a professional trustee in respect of its management of the scheme and its assets
• Acting for the claimants (accountants & business advisers) in a claim for unpaid fees, with counter-allegations of professional negligence as to advice given on the Defendant’s proposed acquisition of a business
• Acting for a commercial finance company in a negligence claim in Birmingham Circuit Commercial Court against a firm of solicitors for their failure to obtain an undertaking or other security in connection with the provision of a bridging loan
• Acting for the claimant, a former soldier, on a claim for professional negligence against the solicitors who advised him on a settlement he reached with the MoD following his medical discharge from the armed services

Arbitration

Mark is experienced as an advocate in numerous arbitral proceedings (both ad hoc and under the auspices of various bodies including the ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL).

His current and recent experience in this area includes:

• English Football League v Sheffield Wednesday FC (SR/372/2019) (acting for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in arbitral proceedings by which the English Football League sought to discipline the Club for breach of its Profit & Sustainability Rules relating to the sale of Hillsborough Stadium, culminating in a five-day final arbitration hearing) (Led by John Randall KC and Nick De Marco KC)
• Acting for the successful claimant in an ICC arbitration against defendants based in Jersey and Australia in connection with a consultancy contract
• Acting for the claimant in an ad hoc arbitration arising out of a partnership dispute and the alleged exercise of an option agreement within the partnership agreement
• Acting for the successful claimant in a substantial LCIA arbitration, concerning the supply and refurbishment of used mobile phone handsets, culminating in a 3-day final hearing (plus lengthy written closing submissions)
• Acting for the claimant in a UNCITRAL arbitration against defendants based in Singapore for alleged breaches of franchising agreements
• Acting for the claimant in a DIAC arbitration in connection with the franchising of a restaurant business in Dubai and elsewhere
• Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency Ltd v Thermabead Ltd [2018] EWHC 3895 (Ch) and [2019] EWHC 851 (TCC) (validity of a ‘pathological’ arbitration clause)
• (As a solicitor-advocate) Acted as sole advocate in a three-day trial in an ICC international arbitration worth £2 million: an agency dispute with a world-leader engineering company relating to the supply of industrial products into China. The case also included claims in the economic torts

Restraint of Trade & Confidentiality

Mark is experienced in acting (for both claimants and defendants) on disputes arising out of restraint of trade and breach of restrictive covenants. His experience encompasses advisory work, obtaining and resisting interim injunctions, and acting on the subsequent legal proceedings.

His current and recent experience in this area includes:

• Numerous cases acting on claims (including applications for injunctive relief) for breach of restrictive covenants and confidentiality by a former employee, and against third parties for inducing breach of contract
• Acting for the defendants, former employees accused of breaching covenants when starting work with a competing business, in successfully resisting the grant of an injunction in the Manchester High Court
• Advising a leading food manufacturer on defending claims of restraint of trade in the context of a key commercial contract
• Obtaining an injunction in the Chancery Division, on behalf of a national chain of public houses, to restrain a breach of restrictive covenant by a former landlord

Education

Appointments and Memberships

Testimonials

“Mark is one of the go-to people we have on speed dial. He is incredibly approachable and can always find a way to achieve what you need.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“Mark is a top-quality barrister and consistent performer.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“He is the complete package. He is really smart and incredibly easy to get on with. He is extremely impressive and does tend to see the full picture from the client’s point of view. He is formidable.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“He is incredibly approachable and has an enormous, incredible brain. He can always find a way to achieve what you need. He is good on his feet and the judges warm up to him quickly.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“Mark’s professionalism, attention to detail and pragmatic approach to resolving disputes are always appreciated.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“He is a very solid choice as a barrister. He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get stuck into it. He will always go the extra mile to ensure that no stone has been left unturned, and he’s an impressive advocate.” Chambers and Partners 2027

“Good with clients, commercially astute and excellent with his analysis and advocacy.” Chambers and Partners 2026

“I find him very engaging. Mark is very good in his field of expertise and is very experienced.” Chambers and Partners 2026

“He is very user-friendly. Mark is very good on his feet. He is very well organised; he has a good understanding of the market. He can do most things.” Chambers and Partners 2026

“He’s phenomenal. Mark’s drafting is superb and very tactical. He’s great on his feet. He gets the judge to trust him.” Chambers and Partners 2026

“Mark is a pleasure to work with. He is responsive and attuned to the commercial requirements of our clients.” Chambers and Partners 2026

“Mark has a calm, unflappable manner. He is patient, thorough and great at getting to grips with the key issues on complex cases. Mark is also an excellent advocate who can be relied upon to have the ear of the court. His polite manner in cross-examination belies the fact that he knows what evidence he wants from witnesses and is great at getting it.” Legal 500 2026

“Mark is highly focussed, assimilating key issues and getting to the heart of the dispute quickly and effectively. His advocacy is direct, considered and effective.” Legal 500 2026

“Mark always ensures that he acquires the clients full trust and attention by ensuring that full knowledge of the case, instructions and the relevant law. His ability to cut through to the essential facts and law is excellent as is his management of clients.” Legal 500 2026

“Mark is brilliant and a good all-round litigator; he’s incredibly user-friendly and always available, and his drafting is excellent.” Chambers & Partners 2025

“Mark has the benefit of having practised as a solicitor for a number of years and, consequently, has an exceptionally strong practical, business-oriented view of the world which adds a critical dimension to advice given.  He engenders trust in clients.  He is very into the detail and technically, legally and procedurally precise to the extreme.” Legal 500 2025

“Mark is a sharp-minded and personable counsel. He is great on the detail and confident in the delivery of complex issues. His advocacy style is assured and commanding.” Legal 500 2025

“Mark is technically, procedurally and legally spot on and precise in every respect. He is very user friendly and liked and trusted by solicitors and clients alike. He brings a great pragmatic and business-oriented approach.” Legal 500 2025

“Mark has a ferocious intellect and is across complex details quickly. He is a very skilled advocate who calmly unpicks weak arguments. He has an easy yet authoritative manner to which clients respond well.” Legal 500 2024

“Mark is exceptionally user-friendly. He is very easy to get along with, provides practical and commercially-focussed advice, and does not shy away from delivering difficult messages. His advocacy is also very strong.” Legal 500 2024

“Mark is a really good advocate. He is very courteous and straightforward to deal with.” Chambers & Partners 2024

“Mark is at ease in both written and oral submissions. He commands authority among peers and clients, whilst also being approachable and responsive.” Chambers & Partners 2024

News and Articles

Mark Grant Secures Victory in Complex Unfair Prejudice Case

Three Counties v Person Unknown – Final Judgment and Order

Appeal Hearing: Sheffield Wednesday FC -v- EFL

English Football League –v- Sheffield Wednesday Football Club